Home centers and other retailers often provide cutting machines configured to cut stock window coverings they offer for sale. The cutting machines permit the retailer to cut the stock window covering for a customer so the window covering can be mounted in a window opening that has dimensions that are smaller than the available stock sizes of the window covering. Examples of such cutting machines are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0000363 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,799,557, 5,927,172 and 6,761,099.
Many cutting machines include a cutting mechanism attached to a table. The cutting mechanism normally includes at least one blade that moves along a horizontal or vertical axis. The blade is configured to cut portions of the window covering. Often, a housing is provided that has openings sized to receive portions of a window covering. A user cuts a window covering down to a desired size by inserting a portion of the window covering or window covering work piece through the one or more openings and then actuating the blade to cut that portion.
When window covering material is being cut, a clamp is usually provided to compress the window covering material to be cut so the blade can easily cut through the material. As the blade wears, the blade may not cut through all of the window covering material, which may require additional cutting passes with the blade or replacement of the blade. For example, worn blades often fail to cut through all the slats of a vertical blind being cut down by a retailer in one cutting pass. Should that occur, the blade may be replaced in order to cut all the slats. Alternatively, the blades or clamp portion could be adjusted to cut the remaining slats. This is possible because although the blade was worn a little, the blade is still capable of making a clean through cut. Frequently, the store sales associate will simply call a service technician to replace the blade and not use the machine until the blade has been replaced.
Whenever one or more slats in a stack to be cut are not cut because a blade is worn, the sales associate may put additional slats or a spacer on top of those to be cut and repeat the cutting process. Such problems increase the retailer's costs, the amount of time needed to effectively cut down a window covering for a customer, and the perceived quality and proficiency of customer service provided by the retailer.
A window covering cutting machine is needed that can continue to completely cut through window covering material on one cutting pass after the blade is worn some, but still capable of making the cut. Preferably, the cutting machine is also configured to reduce the wear or damage the blades of the machine may experience if they deflect after cutting a portion of the window covering.